Motley Fool Backs 3 Long-Term Stocks as S&P 500 Gains 8% in 2026

2 articles · Updated · The Motley Fool · May 13

Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Uber were singled out as long-term buys despite an uncertain 2026 market shaped by the Iran war, interest rates and a coming Fed leadership change.
Coca-Cola offers defensive appeal: its brand has sustained demand through inflation, trailing-12-month profit margins are about 28%, and its dividend yield is 2.7% after 64 straight annual increases.
Microsoft was pitched as a cheaper blue-chip entry after a 17% share decline left it trading at 24 times earnings instead of about 40, with Copilot and core enterprise software supporting growth and a 39% net margin.
Uber rounded out the list as a growth play, with autonomous-driving partnerships and future air-taxi ambitions adding to its platform story; the company now posts roughly 16% margins and trades at 18 times trailing earnings.

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